Bex Fisher Returns
by Cinderella Ella
Summary: Set at the beginning of Series 6. Bex Fisher returns, and everything gets extrememly complicated!
1. Chapter 1

Bex Fisher took a deep breath, and stepped onto the train.

_"Welcome to everyone who boarded this train in Walsden. Our calling points will be Littlebrough, Smithy Bridge, Rochdale…" _The rest of the announcement was drowned out by a baby screaming, but Bex had heard enough. Hearing the name made it seem too real, and her stomach lurched as thousands of unspoken thoughts churned in its emptiness.

She ran to the cramped train toilet and leant over the bowl and retched. Nausea swept over her like a tsunami but only a mouthful of bile rose from her stomach. Bex realised that she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. She leant her head against the cool metal under the sink and tried not to think about where the train was taking her, as it rattled along steadily, each jolt taking her nearer and nearer to the person she was dreading seeing.

The last eighteen months hadn't been kind to Karen Fisher, and her face was covered in lines of worry, lines of anguish and lines of guilt. She paced up and down the front of the assembly hall, churning out platitudes that every new headteacher was expected to say, but really her mind was elsewhere. Her eldest daughter should be sitting there with the rest of the Year 13s, her only worries coursework and boys, her arms folded, trying to look as disinterested as she possibly could. But she wasn't, was she?

She gave a sharp intake of breath and her heart lurched for a second.

But no, it was a different blonde girl, someone else's daughter, just like it always was.

"I er…sorry, where was I? Um… ah yes, so, like I said, 3 strikes and you're out. There is a zero tolerance policy this year". Assembly continued, and Karen was reassured when Jess walked in late at the back. At least some things never changed…

Jess was 16, the same age as Bex was when she disappeared. She bore a striking resemblance to her sister, and she felt like a failure trying to live up to her sister's name. Bex had the brains of the family, and the looks to. Jess felt like an empty shell in comparison, and she knew that her mum wished it was her that had gone missing, not Bex. She bit back the tears, though, and concentrated on doing what she did best. She caught Chris' eye, and grinned flirtatiously at his shocked expression. Oh, this was going to be fun.

The school piled out of assembly, chattering noisily. No one noticed a new girl slip into the middle of them. She was desperately thin, and she looked like she was going to fade away. Wisps of blonde hair framed her pale, skeletal face as she took a deep breath and headed up the stairs towards the headteacher's office.


	2. Chapter 2

Bex paused for a moment outside the school office. She grabbed a chunk of hair in each hand and scrunched it in her fist so it looked as curly as possible, and then checked her appearance in a small mirror. She'd definitely transformed herself; her long, straight, dark blonde hair was now bleach blonde, short and messy. Her round face now had cheekbones like knives, and there were dark smudges under her eyes.

But Bex wasn't convinced. It had all seemed so simple when she was thinking it through, but now she was here, probably less than 5 metres away from her mum, the whole thing seemed silly and childish.

She raised a shaking hand to the door and knocked lightly, twice.

"Come in," called Janeece. "What do you want?"

"I was, er, meant to come up and see Mrs Fisher," said Bex quietly.

"Name?"

"Hannah Smith. I'm new."

"Says 'ere you were meant to meet Miss Fisher at eight thirty. It's nearly quarter past nine now. She won't be happy," said Janeece bossily.

"Sorry, er…"

"She says go in."

***

Bex's stomach did a somersault. She'd spent hours planning everything out, tracking down her family and working out how to get to know them again. What she really wanted was to knock on the front door of their house and run straight into her mum's arms. But it wasn't that simple. Too much had happened, too much had been said, and Bex was afraid her mum would just kick her out. And she couldn't let that happen. Because right now, Bex Fisher _really _needed a mum.  
A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hannah Smith? Come in and take a seat." Karen was knelt down at the filing cabinet, sorting out the chaos Janeece had caused trying to put the files in alphabetical order. She stood up and turned around.

For the second time that day, her blood froze in her veins and her heart was wrenched apart. She had to pull herself together; the grief was actually turning her insane. This girl hardly looked like Bex at all, and it was silly for the thought to have ever crossed her mind. Bex had been a curvy size 12 like her sister Jess when she had left and this girl looked barely a she was the wrong age. And had a different name. And a different mum. The woman she had spoken to in the phone a week ago had the privilege of having a beautiful daughter. Not her. And then Karen felt terrible as she remembered Jess.

Bex started when she saw her mum's face. It had aged about twenty years in the last two, but she had the same warm face and motherly smile. Her eyes had faded a bit, but their loving twinkle was still there, just as it always was even when Bex shouted some of the terrible things she had said. Some of the cruel, irreversible things that would be etched like stone onto Karen's heart forever.  
Tears spilled down Bex's cheeks are sorrow and regret engulfed her entire body. She was shaking with the effort of trying to control herself, and the immense feeling of remorse. She would give absolutely anything to turn back time, but it was too late.

"Hey, are you OK?" Her mum's voice brought her back to earth.

"Sorry," gulped Bex. "I'm just… nervous."

Karen moved to sit next to her on the sofa and placed a hand on Bex's shoulder.  
"It's only normal to be nervous on your first day, but you really don't need to worry. Waterloo Road is a great place, and the previous head told me that there is a great sense of family. One of my… I mean my own daughter, Jess, is in your form and I'll get her to look out for you."

These words stung Bex with physical pain, and she battled to keep a straight face.

"Thanks, Miss, sorry."

But inside, she was crumbling, and all the confidence she had felt the previous day about reuniting herself with her family broke with her heart. Karen clearly didn't want her back.


	3. Chapter 3

Karen led Bex along the corridor to a small science lab where about 15 teenagers were sitting, gossiping.

"So this is your first lesson, Chemistry. You've got a free period next, so come pop up to my office then and I'll have your timetable sorted. Good luck!" She smiled and pushed open the door for Bex.

Chris Mead was talking animatedly about A Levels and the importance of Chemistry in the real world. He turned to the door and stopped what he was saying and went white.

"Hi…er… I'm, I'm Hannah Smith." Bex smiled desperately at Chris, silently begging him to go along with her story. She couldn't face another explosion of emotions and problems that would surely happen if people found out about her and Chris.  
Chris looked speechless and his mouth hung open like a goldfish.

"I'll just be a minute," he muttered as he ran out of the door.

Bex chose a seat in the back corner of the classroom where she could go fairly unnoticed. Most of the class stared at her curiously as she entered, but her closed up face and hunched shoulders made her seem unfriendly and solitary.  
Bex saw a familiar person on the other side of the room. Jess was turned round so Bex couldn't see her face, but Bex would recognise her little sister anywhere. She was laughing and busy flirting with several classmates. Her hair was a reddish brown, which was different to her natural blonde Bex remembered her with.

Bex realised how much had changed in the eighteen months she had been gone. Her innocent little sister was now the eldest in the family and had grown up physically as well as in maturity.

Chris came back into the classroom, looking shaken.

"You OK, sir?" called one of the girls.

"Yeah, sorry. Must have been something I ate for breakfast," replied Chris, looking falsely cheery.

Bex closed her eyes for a moment, wishing everything would just go away. She'd come back to try and make things better, but it looked like all she'd done was create a deeper problem. Chris knew her mum! He taught her sister! Bex was confused; she didn't know what to do or how to sort it out. A tear escaped from under her pale eyelashes and she brushed it angrily away.

Jess didn't look at Bex once during the whole lesson – she was so busy getting to know her more interesting classmates. Bex was glad her sister seemed happy and popular, but she desperately wanted her sister to look at her. Would she recognise her? Or would she have forgotten her face just like her mum?

Bex waited outside the door as all her classmates filed out.

"Jess?" called Chris. "A quick word, please."

Bex peered anxiously through the glass panel in the door. What was Chris saying to her sister? She would much rather he kept well away from her, given the circumstances. Their conversation seemed heated and Chris looked angry. Jess seemed to be flirting with him and Bex felt a sick feeling in her stomach.  
Eventually Jess came out of the classroom and her thoughts seemed elsewhere.

She walked straight into Bex.

"Sorry…" she muttered. "Wait…Bex?"


	4. Chapter 4

Bex didn't know what to say. She'd been away for eighteen months, she had no idea what her family had gone through in that time or how they would react.

"Jess…" she said. "Jess… I… I've missed you."

Bex grabbed her sister and pulled her into a tight hug, breathing in her familiar scent and, for the first time for ages, she felt safe. Jess' body was stiff and she did not return the hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Are you coming back for good or are you just popping in to say hello?"

Although she had been expecting a much worse reaction, Jess' cold words still stung Bex.

"Well, I want to come back, if… if you still want me."

"Well it's not really up to me, is it? What did Mum say?"

"She didn't recognise me," whispered Bex and started to cry. She knew she'd deliberately disguised herself, but a part of her had wanted her mum to recognise her. Had she really forgotten her that easily?

But Jess understood. For months, every time her mum saw a teenage girl her face lit up with hope and each time, the pain was worse. So now, she'd given up and ignored every instinct, trying to move her life on.

"Come on, let's go and tell her,' said Jess without any emotion.

Silently, Bex followed her, knowing she'd have to take her time with Jess. She didn't deserve her forgiveness at all.

Jess knocked on her mum's door.

"Mum?" she called.

"Yes, darling, come in."

"Mum, it's Bex," stammered Jess and pushed her sister into the room.

Karen stared at her daughter.

"But, what? Why?"

"I'm so sorry Mum," said Bex. "I was scared you wouldn't want me back."

"Don't be silly," said Karen thickly. "Come here."

And Bex ran over to her mum and she embraced her, and Karen held on to her daughter like she was never going to let go. Her tears soaked into Bex's thin, blonde hair and she rubbed her back gently.

"I'm so sorry mum," sobbed Bex. "I love you."

"I love you too," sobbed Karen. "What happened?"

"I… I… I went to Manchester with Jamie. And we were going to get a little flat and it was all going to be fine. But he lost his job, and we needed money so badly, and we were both so addicted to the drugs. And I tried to stop beat the addiction, I really did but it was so hard. And then, and then Jamie suggested a way to get money. And… and… he made me…"

Karen seemed to find strength from somewhere deep within her.

"Come on, sit down here." She sat next to her daughter on the sofa and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"It's OK, darling. It's all OK now, you're safe with me."

"No but it's not all OK," wept Bex. "It's not, I need your help, Mum."

"Of course I'll help you darling. What's wrong?"

"Well, Jamie started getting violent, and he'd order me around and he'd get mixed up with all sorts of people, you know, bad people. And if they didn't bring drugs when he wanted or if they didn't pay him enough for me he'd pick fights and then one day, he had a knife and…" Bex couldn't continue any more.

_"Jamie, Jamie, don't please!" she screamed. "It's fine, we'll last until tomorrow, I'll earn more money. Just let him go."_

_"We had a deal and you broke it," snarled Jamie. He was waving a long kitchen knife and his eyes were bloodshot and wild._

_A man was cowering by the sink; he was looking desperate but angry._

_"I don't have anything else I can give you. I told you, my supplier got busted. I'll owe you."_

_"But you already owe me, don't you?" yelled Jamie. "And from what I've heard, you owe a lot of people an awful lot of things. I gave you what you wanted, I gave you my ***** but even that wasn't good enough!"_

_"JAMIE, NOO!" screamed Bex and she tried to cover her eyes. But she couldn't look away as the knife plunged into the man's stomach. There was a dark sticky stain spreading slowly over the kitchen floor and everything went into slow motion. Bex was shaking uncontrollably._

"So Jamie left, before the police arrived. And I know I shouldn't have run away, but I was out of my mind on the drugs and I panicked and thought I'd get arrested too. So I packed a bag and left. And I never saw Jamie again."

"Oh, darling," whispered Karen, squeezing Bex.

But telling her story was sorting everything out in Bex's head and making her life seem clearer.

"So I was living on the streets and I had no one, and no way of earning money except what I was already doing. So I had to carry on, and I was so addicted to the drugs and I can't even remember those few months properly. And then I met this guy in a café, and he treated me differently. He didn't know… what I was and he treated me with respect. And I started seeing him, and it was all going so well and then he started wanting to come round to my house and stuff, and I was living in a shelter at this point so I couldn't. And so I left him because I thought it was better than him finding out. And then, and then I realised I had to come back. I need your help, Mum."

"Of course, darling. I'll help you with the drugs, and I'll get you a counsellor. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters. Everything else will be OK, I promise."

"No, Mum, you don't understand. There's something else."

"What is it darling?"

"I'm pregnant."


	5. Chapter 5

'Mum, where's Jess?'

'She's outside isn't she darling?'

'No, she's not.'

'I don't know then. She can't be far away, don't worry.'

'No, mum, I want to talk to her. Please.'

Bex couldn't really explain why she wanted to talk to her sister rather than her mum, but she had always been close to Jess and there was so much she needed to talk to her about. So much that she didn't even think her mum would understand. And she didn't want to cause her mum any more pain.

She saw the look of anguish on her mum's face and realised how much torment she's caused by running away. Her mum was too scared to let her out of her sight for even a few minutes.

Bex walked over to her mum and cupped her lines face in the small hands.

'I'll come back Mum, don't worry. I promise I won't ever leave you again.'

A tear trickled down Karen's cheek as she struggled to speak. In the end, she gave up and just nodded, forcing a small smile. Bex kissed her lightly on the forehead and left the room.

She didn't know her way around Waterloo Road at all and she didn't know where to start looking for her sister. The corridors were deserted and empty as every pupil was in lessons. Bex searched every corner of the school – she peered through every classroom window and looked in every set of toilets she could find. But there was no Jess.

A stab of pain went through Bex's heart. What if her sister was gone for good? Then guilt washed over her as she realised this was how her family must have felt for eighteen months.

A small object caught her eye outside and she saw a black outline huddled against a tree on the school field. Bex rushed out of the school doors and over to where her sister was sitting.

Jess' face was red and blotchy and her eyes were red and sore from crying. She looked as though she had been crying hard for hours, even though Bex knew it couldn't have been more than half an hour since she last saw her sister.

'Jess, I'm so sorry. Come here.' Bex moved to wrap her arms around her sister but Jess flinched and pulled away sharply.

'Sorry,' whispered Bex, but she knew nothing she could say was good enough.

Luckily for her, Jess didn't seem to have enough energy to move away and she sat there, shaking slightly. Bex didn't know if it was from crying or from the cold, but she took off her blazer and wrapped it around her sister anyway.

'Jess, look, I know nothing I can say will make what I did OK, but I am so so so sorry for what I did to you all. I was a selfish cow and I don't deserve any of you to forgive me or talk to me ever again. But I can't bear to see that I've upset you so much – I thought coming back would make everything better, but if it's making it worse then I'll leave.'

Jess opened her mouth but did not speak.

Bex tried again. 'Jess, I missed you so much. Did you hear what I told Mum?'

Jess nodded and started sobbing again. Bex reached out to touch her, but once again she pulled away and stood up.

Her eyes were blazing, and although she was still crying, Jess began screaming at her sister.

'You have no idea, do you? You have no idea of what we've been going through this past year. You think that coming back is going to make everything OK? Well it's not. Far from it. I heard what you said to Mum. You didn't come back because of us. You came back because you needed our charity. You're pregnant. You're just a pathetic slag, sleeping around because you don't know what else to do…'

Jess dissolved into fresh sobs, she was practically doubled over with them. She had stopped describing Bex, and begun describing herself. She realised how similar they were, except that Bex was forced into what she did, whereas Jess had done it because she liked the attention.

Her anger at her sister began to fade, as she realised how much she needed Bex too.

'I'm sorry, Bex,' she said, her voice barely a whisper.

And she sat down next to her big sister, buried her face in her chest and cried. She had always thought there was a limit to how many tears she had – after being dumped by boys in the past she always reached a point where she couldn't cry any more and things started to get better. But now, the tears wouldn't stop and she couldn't breathe from crying.

And Bex just held on to her. She was crying too – she hated seeing her sister in so much pain and realised there was more to this than just anger at her sister. She realised that she wasn't the only one who was going through a hard time – that her little sister had problems and difficulties too, and that they were going to have to face them together.

Finally, Jess found enough breath to talk to her sister.

'Bex, if I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Mum?'

'I promise, Jess.' It reminded Bex of all the times she'd covered for her sister when she was going to parties, or staying over at a boyfriend's house, and it made things feel more normal.

A few more tears rolled out of Jess' eyes, but they were barely distinguishable amongst the tears that were already on her face, and the smudged make-up and the swollen, red eyes.

'I- I- I slept with someone a lot older than me. And- I didn't realise that he knew Mum, but he does. And now he might lose his job because of me, and he just thinks of me as a stupid kid. And- I've slept with fourteen different people in the last two weeks, and I'm just a worthless slag, and I've probably caught loads of disgusting stuff and I'm just used goods and I'm not nearly as brave as you and–'

'Shush,' whispered Bex. 'It's OK, I'm here and I'm never going to leave you again. You're not a worthless slag, you're beautiful and strong, and we can talk about this properly when you're feeling better.

Bex rocked her baby sister in her arms. It had begun to rain a while ago, but neither sister had noticed, and they remained in each others' embrace for a long time.

'Jess,' whispered Bex after a while. 'Who is he, the person Mum knows?'

'It's Chris Mead, the deputy head. I didn't know who he was, I swear, I never would have gone near him if I'd realised…'

'It's okay, everything will be okay,' whispered Bex, comforting her sister like she had done so many times before. But she struggled to keep her voice level as her whole world crashed around her. Surely not. Not Chris Mead. Please. She prayed to God, even though she had never been religious. Her sister could have slept with anyone, just not Chris Mead. Please.


	6. Chapter 6

Karen walked through the rain to where her daughters were sitting, still with their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

She smiled broadly as she saw them so close – the jealousy and anger she had seen on Jess' face earlier had evaporated and she looked safe and comforted.

'Girls, come inside, it's pouring down,' said Karen, trying to be heard through the howling wind. 'Please,' she added.

Bex stood up, pulling her sister's hand. They allowed their mum to put an arm round each of them and the three of them walked, slightly awkwardly, back into the school.

They sat down in Karen's office, and Janeece came in with three steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

'Thanks, Janeece,' said Karen, smiling.

'No problem, Mrs Fisher.' Janeece looked at Jess slightly strangely and scurried out.

'Er, Mum, have you got a mirror?' asked Jess. Karen reached into her handbag and laughed as Jess shrieked at her reflection.

She did look quite a mess. Her makeup was smudged all over her face – the black lines made her look like a kind of wannabe goth and her eyes were still red. Her hair was soaking wet and sticking to her cheeks limply.

'Oh my God, I look _awful_' said Jess. 'I'm off to the loo, do you want me to get Dad and Harry on the way back?'

Karen looked anxiously at Bex, wondering how much more emotion she could take.

'Mum, it's fine, of course I want to see Dad and little Harry. But can you explain to them what happened – I don't want to have to do all that again.'

'Of course, darling. Do you want to go with your sister now while I talk to them about what happened? And then you can come in and see them?'

'Yeah, OK, Mum.' Bex linked arms with Jess and they walked off to the toilets.

Karen looked at her daughters and sighed. She knew that Bex and Jess must have talked a lot about what had happened and how they felt, and while she was happy that they were getting on, she wished they would confide in her more. What did she do that pushed her family away so much? Karen was afraid. What if she got things wrong again and lost Bex again? Or what if she lost Jess, or Harry, or Charlie? Just as her family was coming together, Karen felt aware of its fragility and vulnerability.

She knocked on the door of Chris' science class, where Harry was sitting, looking bored.

'Hi, can I take Harry from you, please?'

Harry looked surprised, but gladly stuffed his books into his bag and walked out of the room. A few people muttered nasty comments, but none of them dared say it loud enough for Karen to hear.

'Er, Karen, can I have a quick word?' said Chris.

'Yeah, of course,' smiled Karen. 'Harry, can you wait for me at the top of the stairs?'

Chris cleared his throat nervously. 'Erm is everything OK?'

'Yeah, it is,' said Karen brightly. 'Why?'

'It's just er, you look kind of, overwhelmed,' said Chris truthfully.

'Well I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway,' began Karen. 'Well, er, I guess you didn't even know she was missing, but my daughter, Bex, has come back after being missing for eighteen months. She just turned up out of the blue today!'

Chris smiled at the happy tears that filled Karen's eyes and he touched her shoulder affectionately.

'That's great, I'm really happy for you! Wow!'

'Yeah, I'm taking Harry to see her now.' Karen turned and began walking away.

'Oh and Chris,' she called over her shoulder. 'I think you've already met Bex. She's the girl who pretended to be called Hannah Smith this morning.'

Karen walked away with a slight spring in her step and did not notice all the colour drain from Chris' face. What had he done?

'Charlie, can you come with me, please? Sorry if I'm interrupting anything,' said Karen breathlessly as Charlie picked up his mug of tea and followed her out of the staffroom, looking slightly bewildered.

Karen, Charlie and Harry found an empty classroom and sat down.

'Mum, what's happening?' asked Harry, confused.

'I don't know how to tell you really, but we've found Bex,' said Karen, tears pouring down her face.

Charlie looked panicked. 'What's happened? Is she OK? Where is she? Karen?'

'She's fine, she's fine,' wept Karen. 'Well I mean, she's not hurt, she's obviously quite upset and overwhelmed. Sorry, I don't know why I'm crying, we've got out family back together!'

Charlie and Harry were crying, too.

'Can we see her, Mum?' asked Harry. 'Where is she?'

'She's in my office. She wanted me to explain to you what happened so you didn't have to ask her – she's still quite fragile and upset.'

'What happened, Karen?' asked Charlie, taking her hand in his.

But Karen was sobbing and couldn't speak. She buried her head in Charlie's shoulder and they cried together. Harry stood behind them and put his arms around them, trying to help but confused as to if they were happy or sad.

Eventually, Karen was able to speak and she explained to her family what horrors Bex had faced while she was away.

Meanwhile, Bex and Jess were in the girls' toilets. Jess had washed her face and was reapplying her makeup.

'Can I borrow some, sis?' asked Bex. 'I look like a f****** corpse!'

Jess laughed and passed her the bag. 'Take whatever you want!'

She was glad her sister's habit of using foul language hadn't changed – she wouldn't be Bex without swearing every few sentences.

'Jess, you know how you told me about Mr Mead?' asked Bex carefully. 'Can I trust you with something?'

'Yeah, course,' said Jess, and she put her eyeliner down.

Bex looked at her sister's innocent expression and realised she couldn't crush her any more.

'It's just that I'm worried about my baby. I don't know what to do! I don't think I could cope with having one, but I don't think I could just have an abortion either. I don't know what to do!'

'Hey, hey, it's OK,' said Jess, rushing to her sister's side. 'You don't need to decide immediately, you can talk it over with people and take your time. How many weeks are you?'

'About seven, I think,' said Bex. 'Oh Jess, what have I done?'

'Bex, listen to me,' said Jess. 'I might be your little sister, but I'm much older than I was when you left and I'm old enough to understand how tough this decision is going to be. But I'm always here and if you want, you can talk to Janeece too. She's the school secretary and she's pregnant. She's only about a year older than you, you know.'

'Thanks, Jess. I guess we'd better go back to see Dad and Harry now. I'll think about this mess later.'

Jess slipped her hand into Bex's and they walked back to their mum's office in silence. Jess squeezed her sister's hand to let her know she was always there for her, but Bex's tight grip meant much more. It meant 'sorry about what I've done to you, little sis and sorry I can't tell you'. It meant 'how am I going to sort this mess out without hurting any more people?' and it meant 'how am I going to get through the rest of this day?'


	7. Chapter 7

The Fisher's were still sitting in Karen's office when the bell for lunch rang. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

'I'm on lunchtime duty, I'd better go,' said Charlie, and he pulled Bex into a tight hug.

'See you later, Dad,' said Bex. 'Love you.'

Charlie never believed he would hear those words again and a lump rose in his throat.

'See you later, Bexy,' he said huskily.

'Guys, I don't want to get in your way. Why don't you all go for lunch and I'll stay here for a bit. I'd like a bit of time on my own anyway and I've got a headache from all the crying.'

'Same,' said Jess. 'I think I've cried more this morning than I ever did in my life!'

'Except for when Busted split up,' said Harry cheekily, and Jess pretended to hit him over the head.

'Come on, Piggy, let's go find our friends. Are you sure that's what you want, Bex?'

Bex nodded.

'OK, well I guess I'd better go, I've got a meeting with a social worker in a few minutes and I haven't eaten all day,' said Karen. 'Do you want anything to eat, Bex?'

'No ta, I'm fine,' smiled Bex, as Karen looked worriedly at her skinny frame.

Bex could sense her mum's worry at leaving her for even half an hour and Bex opened her arms.

'Come on, family hug.'

Finally, her family left and Bex had a moment to think. She felt so happy she could burst, but at the same time she had an awful feeling in her stomach that wouldn't go away. She couldn't tell her mum because she worked with Chris. She couldn't tell her dad because he was always protective over his daughters and would probably beat Chris up! She couldn't tell Harry because he was too young and innocent. And she couldn't tell Jess because she was madly in love with him and it would break er heart.

Just then, Janeece came bustling in and interrupted her thoughts.

'Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you were in here,' she said apologetically.

'No, don't worry, it's fine,' said Bex. 'It'd be nice to have some company who doesn't burst into tears whenever I speak!'

Janeece laughed. 'They're just happy to see you back, Bex. Miss Fisher really missed you, you know?'

Then she realised what she'd said and covered her mouth.

'Sorry, it's none of my business, I shouldn't have been listening!'

'Hey, don't worry, it's fine,' laughed Bex. 'I like nosy people, they're the best sources of gossip! Is that chicken?'

'Yep, chicken mayo and lettuce,' said Janeece. 'Do you want some?'

'No, it's fine, sorry,' said Bex, realising how rude she must have sounded.

'I'm not hungry, are you sure you don't want it?'

'Well…'

'Go on,' said Janeece. 'I could do with losing a few pounds anyway.'

'No you couldn't, you're dead skinny,' said Bex. 'If Jess hadn't told me you were pregnant I wouldn't have realised.'

'Aw, thanks,' said Janeece, smiling. 'But it's not true, I've piled on the weight since I got this, I just can't stop eating!'

'Same!' said Bex with her mouth full. 'Did you hear that I was pregnant?'

Janeece went red and Bex giggled.

'Don't miss a thing, you! But can I ask you about it?'

'Yeah, course,' said Janeece.

'Well, it sounds stupid, but what does it feel like, you know, when it gets big?'

'It's weird at first, but you get used to it,' said Janeece. 'And sometimes you feel it kicking, _that's _weird. But I find I have to go to the loo all the time and I can't stop eating. I can't stop crying either! You had me going earlier when you were with your mum!'

Bex felt a rush of warmth towards this outspoken and kind-hearted girl.

'Did you ever, you know, consider an abortion?'

'Well yeah, but, I dunno, it just felt wrong, you know? I did think about it but it's expensive and I was too scared. And now it's too late.'

'Mm,' said Bex, with a worried expression.

'Hey, but if you do keep yours, they'll be in the same class at school! How ace would that be? They could go to the same nursery, and have the same childminder and go on walks together. They might even get married!'

'Haha, don't get too ahead of yourself, Jan! We don't even know if they're girls or boys yet, and I don't even know if I'm going to keep it yet!'

'Sorry,' said Janeece. 'If you did want an abortion that would be OK, too. I mean, you're still really young and you don't know who the dad is.'

Bex bit her lip. She wished everything was that simple.

'Here, look, give me your phone and I'll give you my number so you can ring me or text me whenever you want me.'

Bex's eyes pricked with tears at Janeece's kindness.

'Thanks, you don't have to.'

'Hey, don't start crying on me, baby. It's fine, it'll be nice to have someone in this place who actually understands what I'm going through!'

Bex smiled. 'I don't even know if I'm staying here, or what. I don't have any GCSEs so I can't really do any A Levels. You even need a few Cs to get on to apprenticeships. I haven't even thought about what I'll do after today!'

'Well I'm always here if you need me, yeah? Now do you want some crisps?'

Jess was hovering suspiciously outside the staffroom. Tom Clarkson came out and looked at her.

'Is everything OK, Jess?' Tom had heard from Charlie about Bex returning and he knew how hard it must have been for Jess. When Chlo had been missing for just a few weeks it had torn him apart.

'Yeah, I'm fine, is Mr Mead in there? I need to ask him about Chemistry coursework.'

A few seconds later, Chris came out and he looked annoyed to see Jess there.

'Jess, what are you doing? Did our little chat earlier not sink in?'

'I– I just wanted to talk to you, really, about everything.'

'Jess, I don't think that's a good idea,' said Chris.

'Please,' begged Jess. 'Please, I just want to talk.'

Chris gave in and led Jess to his classroom. 'OK, Jess, what do you want to say?'

'Well, I just don't want this school to ruin what we've got,' said Jess desperately. 'What if I left, would that be good enough?'

'Jess, I'm sorry, but I can't have a relationship with you. It wouldn't work.'

'Why?'

'Because I am your teacher. I am thirty-three and you're sixteen. It's just wrong.'

'But if I left then you wouldn't be my teacher. Then there's no problem.'

'No, Jess, it's never going to work.'

'That's not what you were saying this morning when I woke up. Why should it change? We've got something really special here, and I don't want to lose you just because of a silly school. I'll get a job or something.'

'No, no, no, Jess,' said Chris. 'Wait, just give me a minute to think.' He closed his eyes and exhaled. This morning, he would have done anything to stay with Jess – he would have left his job, he would have let her leave school, if necessary he would have let her move in with him! But since seeing Bex, finding out she was pregnant and she was Jess' sister, not to mention his boss' daughter, there was no chance. He had to keep this as simple and above board as possible.

'I'm sorry, Jess,' said Chris. 'You're a beautiful girl and one day you'll meet someone really special who will love you like you deserve. But I can't be that person, I'm sorry.'

Jess realised there could be no negotiation and she realised how desperate she was sounding.

'Ok, fine,' she said woodenly. 'But I'm not going to spend the rest of my life chasing after you, so if you don't want me now then that's it. Forever.'

Chris could see he was breaking her heart and he felt terrible.

'I'm sorry, Jess,' he said. 'We can't be together.'

He wanted to add 'I love you' but he didn't want to give Jess any false hope.

Jess turned away to mask her tears. 'I love you,' she mouthed, knowing that Chris couldn't see it. And silently, she walked out of the room, and out of his life.


	8. Chapter 8

The Fishers sat round the family table that evening, for the first time in eighteen months. Karen had cooked spaghetti bolognese to keep things simple, but she had been so worried about making the meal perfect that the spaghetti was slightly overcooked and sticky and the bolognese ever so slightly too salty.

Karen was fussing around, checking everyone had enough to eat and whether the water jug was full.

'Mum, sit down!' said Jess, annoyed at how awkward she was making the meal.

'Sorry,' said Karen, quickly and sat down. She tried to eat some of the spaghetti but couldn't manage more than a few mouthfuls. She pushed her plate away from her, and Jess, Charlie and Harry gladly copied her.

Only Bex continued to try and plough her way through it, partly to make her mum happy and partly because she was so hungry.

'Bexy, it's OK, you don't have to eat it,' said Karen. 'It is pretty disgusting!'

'Nah, it's alright,' said Bex, grimacing as she tried to swallow another mouthful.

'Look, darling, why don't we order a takeaway?'

Bex smiled.

'Chinese,' said Harry.

'Indian,' said Jess.

Then the both looked at Bex. 'Come on Bex, final vote.'

It was family tradition that Bex always sided with Jess and chose Indian, but she hesitated.

'Indian, sorry Harry.'

'It's OK,' he said quickly, anxious not to cause any trouble.

'Are you sure? We could get fish and chips if you prefer?'

'No!' said Harry loudly. 'You always choose Indian, can't we just be normal again?'

Karen placed her hand on Harry's. 'It's OK darling, it's goning to take us all a bit of getting used to that Bex is back. So shall I order the Indian?'

'Yeah please, Mum,' said Bex.

Karen returned, and the family sat in silence for a bit longer.

'Shall we, er, watch some TV?' suggested Jess.

'Yeah, good idea,' said Charlie, and the whole family trooped into the living room.

Normally, Jess and Harry would do homework in their rooms or go to a friend's house, but they both felt they had to stay where they could see Bex, or they'd think it was all a dream.

So the whole family sat uncomfortably, watching Come Dine With Me.

Finally, the takeaway arrived and they could relax a bit, as they ate, still sitting in the living room.

When they had finished, Karen cleared up the dishes, and Bex followed her into the kitchen to help her clear up.

'Mum?' asked Bex. 'Can I have my old room back?'

'Yeah, of course,' said Karen, smiling. 'It's, um, it's still just as you left it.'

'Can I go and have a look now?'

'Yes, of course, darling. This is your home, remember, you don't need to ask.' She smiled nervously.

'OK, sorry.'

Bex left the room, glad to be away from the awkward stares of her family.

Karen sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and put her head in her hands. Her body shook violently with silent sobs. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but Bex's return had stirred up all her old emotions and fears and worries and she felt as though he whole life had turned upside-down.

Upstairs, Bex stood in the middle of her bedroom and turned round slowly, examining everything carefully, and remembering.

'_Bex, you're grounded! I told you to be back by 11, and now it's 5am! Have you been smoking?'_

_'No, Mum! I haven't! Why do you always suspect me of doing that kind of stuff?'_

_'Because you absolutely stink of cannabis! Now keeps your voice down or you'll wake your brother and sister!'_

_'I'm fed up of you, Mum, you don't trust me! One day I'm gonna leave here and never come back!'_

_'Bex, I think I might be pregnant.'_

_'Yeah right, Jess, you're only just fifteen.'_

_'Bex, I think I might. I was drunk and I can't remember what happened, and now I'm really scared. What should I do?'_

_'I don't know, Jess, I haven't got time. I'm off out. Just buy a pregnancy test.'_

_'Bex, please, I need you.'_

_'Tough. Grow up, Jess.'_

_'I love you, Bex. You're special.'_

_'I love you too, Jamie.'_

_'Come on, let's get away from here. We can go to Manchester, just me and you. We can get a flat, and a baby, and start a family. Then there'll be no parents telling us what to do. We can do what we want. I love you, baby.'_

_'But I couldn't just leave my family. How would we earn money anyway?'_

_'I could get a job, it'd be easy. And if we have a baby we can get a flat off the council. It'll be easy.'_

_'No, Jamie, we can't. I can't just leave my mum.'_

_'Why not? Do you not love me? Think of everything I do for you, Bex.'_

_'I do love you Jamie… I love you more than anything.'_

_'Then come with me.'_

The memories of what had happened in this room pierced Bex's heart like thousands of daggers. How could she have been so selfish, so naive, so stupid? She'd put Jamie before her family, putting all her trust in someone who shoplifted, dealt drugs and made young girls work as prostitutes. How could she have done that?

As the tears gradually dried up, she began to see a watery version of her sixteen year old life. She'd thought she was so grown up – all her boy band posters had gone and had been replaced with photos of her and her friends, usually on drunken nights out. As she looked at the photos, she realised they weren't really her friends at all. Not one of them had come to look for her when she had been missing – it would have been easily for them to track her and Jamie down. Not a single one had contacted the police to say they might be able to help. They were probably just scared of what the police might find out about them if they gave their details. They put themselves before their friends, as always.

She saw scraps of paper with coursework on, neglected and hardly done. One of them had vodka stains on it, which said it all about the effort she'd put into her studies. Red scrawls of E and F covered them, and not a single one had ever been handed in. Bex hadn't thought she'd even need GCSE's – Jamie had said he could get her a job without any. She hadn't even stayed around to sit the exams.

Bex lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. There were glow in the dark stars on it, still stuck on with Blu-Tack from when she was about eight or nine. She slid her hand under her school shirt and rubbed it in a gentle circle around her flat tummy. How could a baby possible be growing in there? She felt her hip bone protruding out and wondered if she was too thin for the baby to survive.

She realised with a start that this was the first time she had thought about the baby's welfare, rather than just her own. Was this really how selfish she had become? Whether or not she kept it, this tiny creature was entirely dependent on her. The thought terrified her, and she wished she could talk to the baby's father about what to do.

Bex picked up her phone and scrolled down her contacts to the father's number. Her bony finger hovered over the call button, but she didn't dare answer it.


	9. Chapter 9

'Morning, Janeece,' said Karen, cheerily, sweeping into her office.7

'Morning, Miss Fisher,' said Janeece, peering over Karen's shoulder.

Karen laughed, realising what Janeece was wondering.

'Yes, Bex is coming to Waterloo Road. She's walking with Jess because they didn't want to come in this early!'

'OK, I'm glad, Miss. Education is very important, you know.'

'I know, Janeece,' smiled Karen, her eyes twinkling. Her whole face was glowing, and she was a changed woman from the worried, slightly wrinkled lady who had been running the school the day before.

Chris followed Karen into her office, shortly followed by Tom Clarkson.

'OK, well there's a few things we need to discuss,' said Karen. 'But the biggest thing is my daughter, Bex. She's starting Waterloo Road today, and she should be in year thirteen. But the thing is, she doesn't have any GCSEs, never mind AS Levels. But was in school for most of years ten and eleven, so I was thinking, with a bit of extra work, she could sit her GCSEs at the end of this year? Wha do you think?'

'I think it sounds fine,' said Tom. 'But won't it be a bit humiliating for her, being in classes with year elevens?'

'Yeah,' said Karen thoughtfully. 'But I don't really know what else to do.'

'Well there's always the year twelve re-sit group, you know, the ones who didn't get the GCSEs they needed the first time round. She'd be in my form the, so I could keep an eye on her, and looking at her predicted grades, she's very bright so she'd be able to catch up pretty quickly.' Tom flicked through the pages of Bex's file.

'That sounds brilliant, Tom, thanks,' said Karen, smiling broadly. 'Chris, do you think that sounds OK? Chris?'

'Oh, yeah, sorry,' said Chris. 'I was miles away! Yeah that sounds great! But won't it be difficult seeing as most of the kids on the re-sit group aren't going to achieve above a C, and Bex is predicted As and Bs?'

'She could always do some after-school lessons to do the extra stuff,' said Tom. 'I'd be happy to give her some help with English.'

'Thanks, Tom, that's great,' said Karen. 'And Chris, would you be able to tutor her in science? It would be paid, of course.'

'Er, I don't know,' said Chris, looking worried. 'I'm really busy at the moment…'

'Please, Chris, you'd be doing me a massive personal favour,' said Karen. 'I promise the pay will be good, and you can have first dibs on the top sets next year.'

'OK,' said Chris, defeated. How was he going to manage one-to-one lessons with Bex?

There was a knock at the door.

'Come in,' said Karen. 'Ah, Bex, take a seat.'

Karen explained what they thought she should do to catch up on her GCSE work. Bex thought it sounded great, until she got to the part about one-to-one tuition with Chris.

'No Mum, it's fine, I'm good at science. I don't need extra help.'

'Well, Bex, you're grades from year eleven suggest otherwise. You got two Fs and a G on you mocks.'

Bex sighed. 'But Mr Mead's the deputy, won't he be busy enough?'

'No, he's very kindly agreed to do it. Now don't be ungrateful.'

Bex avoided eye contact with Chris. 'OK,' she muttered.

'Great, that's sorted then,' smiled Karen. 'Mr Clarkson will show you where your form room is, you're in Jess' form since you're doing lessons with the year twelves.'

'Great,' said Bex sarcastically, but secretly she was glad to have her sister there as support.

'See you later, honey. Love you.'

'See you, Mum. Love you too.'

Hearing those words after all this time still brought tears to Karen's eyes.

'Hey, are you OK?' asked Chris, concerned. 'Do you need a tissue?'

'No, thanks, I'm fine,' said Karen, wiping her eyes with her hand. 'Sorry, it's just a lot to get used to, having Bex around again. Sorry.'

'It'll be OK in the end, I promise,' said Chris, rubbing her shoulder. 'How's she doing?'

'I don't know,' Karen admitted. 'She spent most of last night in her room, alone, and I heard her crying in the night, but I guess that's normal at first. I've arranged for a counsellor to come and see her tomorrow as well, but I don't really know what else to do.'

'Just give her time, I suppose,' said Chris. 'It's a lot to get used to for her as well. But she'll bounce back, she always does.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I mean, after everything she's been through,' said Chris quickly.

'Well thanks for putting up with a weepy old lady,' smiled Karen. 'I'll let you go and do something useful now.'

Chris laughed. 'Year nines, can't wait! See you Karen, and remember, I'm always here if you need anything, yeah?'

The day passed pretty uneventfully. Bex had lunch with Jess and Vicki, and they talked about normal girly stuff. Bex was glad to see that Jess was getting over Chris – she seemed to be checking a tall, good-looking boy called Jonah out!

Bex waited with dread for the bell at the end of the day, when she knew she had her first catch-up session with Chris. For everyone else in the school, the day seemed to drag on forever, but for her the bell rang far too soon. She delayed for as long as possible, going to the toilets wit Jess and Vicki to reapply her makeup and have another gossip. Finally, she couldn't delay any longer and made her way slowly to the science lab.

'Hi, Chr– Mr Mead.'

'Hi, Bex. Erm, take a seat. We'll be doing the periodic table today.'

'Chris, we need to talk.'

'So, the elements. How much do you know about them already?'

'I need to talk to you. Please.'

'OK. You're right, we do.'


	10. Chapter 10

'So have you heard then?'

'Heard what?' said Chris quietly.

'That I'm pregnant.'

Chris nodded but couldn't speak for a moment. 'Is it–?'

Bex nodded. 'I'm sorry,' she said and breathed deeply to try and stop herself from breaking down.

'No, I'm sorry,' said Chris. 'I should have realised what you were going through, I shouldn't have just left you. I should have been more careful in the first place. In fact, maybe there shouldn't have been a first place.'

'No!' cried Bex. 'Please don't say that! Please don't say you regret it! It's the only thing that's kept me going, knowing that at least we both loved each other.' Her voice trailed off.

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose and shook slightly.

'No, I won't lie. I did love you. And I still do. But I've made a mess of it now, and I don't know what I can do. Has Jess told you that we–?'

Bex nodded, tears splashing down her nose. 'Would it break her heart if we told her?'

Chris gave up, and let himself cry.

'I don't know,' he admitted, his voice breaking. 'I care about her, but not in the same way. I just don't want to hurt her any more – it was a stupid mistake and I don't want to make it worse.'

'It's such a mess,' sobbed Bex. Chris got up and came and sat next to her. He pulled her into a hug, and squeezed her tightly. He then pulled away and looked at her.

'We can't tell your mum. She won't be able to bear it, that I slept with both of her daughters.'

'But you didn't know we were sisters, or how old we were,' said Bex.

'I know, but do you think it will make any difference?' said Chris, sniffing.

Bex wiped a tear from his cheek.

'I'll have to have an abortion. That will sort this out, at least.'

'No!' said Chris. 'Please, no! You can't hurt the only innocent thing in all of this. It's a baby – it's half you and half me.'

'Sorry, but I have to,' said Bex, finding her voice steadier now she had made a decision.

'You can't,' said Chris. 'The baby's the only thing that will get us through this terrible situation with any hope.'

'No, it's not,' said Bex firmly. 'It's the thing that's _causing _the whole problem! And anyway, you haven't exactly been there to help me since I got pregnant! You can't just tell me what to do, now!'

'Bex, I didn't abandon you – you left me!' said Chris. 'If I'd realised what you were going through, I'd never have let you go.'

Bex knew he was right, but she was beyond caring.

'But if you'd really loved me anyway, you wouldn't have let me go in the first place. You'd have helped me, you'd have let me live with you and beat my addiction. But no, you let me go back to living on the streets, getting paid to sh** any dirty old pervert with a bit of money or drugs.'

'But I didn't realise, Bex. I know I should have done, and I'm sorry, but you lied to me, too. You didn't tell me your real name, and you said you had a house and that you were a teacher.' Chris' eyes were red and swollen, and he sat down and wept. 'I'm so sorry, I just didn't realise.'

Bex knew he was genuinely sorry, and that she needed his help and love. But she couldn't cope with it, and she ran out, leaving Chris alone and heartbroken.

Bex dialled Janeece's number, and she sat in a bus stop to protect her from the rain.

'Hello?'

'Hi Jan, it's Bex.'

'Bex! Are you OK? Are you crying?'

'Janeece, I'm going for an abortion tomorrow, and I need someone to come with me. Would you be able to come?'

'Um, yeah, sure, don't you want your mum to come?'

'No, I'm not telling her. Can you just say you have a baby scan or something?'

'Bex, are you sure this is a good idea?'

'Yeah, I'm certain. Can you meet me in there at five to eleven tomorrow? The appointment's at eleven.'

'OK, Bex, but please think about this overnight.'

'Yeah, will do. Thanks, Janeece, see you tomorrow.'

And Bex was left alone, and as she walked home, the rain mixed with her tears so no one except her knew how much she was hurting.


	11. Chapter 11

Bex woke early, after barely sleeping the night before. She looked pale and ill, so at least she wouldn't need to pretend to her mum!

'Mum, I don't feel well, can I have the day off?'

'Oh sweetheart, you don't look well at all! Go back to bed; I'll bring you some paracetamol and a hot water bottle. Do you need someone to stay and look after you?'

'No thanks, mum, I'll be fine. If I feel better later I'll try and get some work done.'

'No you won't! Make sure you have a good rest or you won't get better. Are you sure you'll be OK on your own?'

'Yeah, honestly, Mum.'

'Okay, do you need to go to the doctor? You know, just in case.' She glanced down at Bex's tummy, even though she wasn't visibly pregnant.

'Nah, I'll be fine. I've probably just got the bug that's going round. I'll ring you if I feel any worse, yeah?'

'OK, if you're sure. Go on, hop into bed and I'll bring everything up.'

'Mum, can I have a hug?'

'Of course,' said Karen, surprised but happy. She couldn't remember the last time her daughter had asked her for a cuddle!

Bex tried but failed to not cry as she inhaled her mother's familiar smell – the smell of safety and love. She buried her face deeper into her, wanting to never let go. She didn't want to have to go through what she was going to have to today without her mother, but she had already made up her mind and she didn't want her mum to change it. She was also scared that Karen would figure out that Bex knew who the dad was.

Eventually, Karen let go of her daughter and handed her a tissue, before blowing her own nose.

'Look at me, I haven't stopped crying since you came home,' laughed Karen.

'Me neither!' sniffed Bex. 'Anyway, I'll go back to bed before you catch my germs!'

The house was strangely silent once everyone had left and Bex hated it. She turned every radio and TV on, which made it slightly easier. She wasn't sure if you were allowed to eat or drink before an abortion, but she wasn't hungry anyway. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. Was she supposed to grieve the death of her son/daughter or treat it like a medical operation? Would the people in the clinic judge her, or think she was a bad mother?

She was glad that Janeece was coming with her, and knowing that she was going to be there was the only thing that gave her the strength to leave the house.

Meanwhile, at school, Janeece was preparing to go. She shoved all her things into her fake Prada handbag before saying bye to Karen and Chris, who were in the office, and promising she'd bring them back something from the bakery as lunch.

Chris came out of the office and saw that Janeece had left her phone on the desk. He glanced out of the window of and saw that she was only just getting into her car. Realising that she might need her phone, he grabbed his car keys and set off after Janeece.

When Janeece pulled up into the clinic's car park, she took the last parking space and Chris cursed as he had to drive back out and find a space on the road. He noticed that it Janeece had gone into a different door than Kim had always used, and with a start he realised that this was a very private appointment for her! If Janeece was having an abortion than this was none of his business, and he decided to leave immediately.

Just as he was starting the engine up again, he saw that Janeece's phone was ringing.

_Bex Fisher calling_

Everything seemed to go into slow motion and Chris tried desperately to organise the thoughts in his head. It wasn't Janeece having the abortion, it was Bex. It was his child who was going to be aborted. Bex hadn't been joking when she'd said it last night. He had to stop her.

Chris ran across the car park, nearly running into a woman who gave him an extremely dirty look as she dodged out of the way. He burst through the door and ran up to the desk.

'I need to, er, I need to see Bex Fisher. She's got an appointment now.' He was breathless and panicking.

'I'm sorry, are you a relative of the patient?'

'Yeah, I'm her baby's father,' said Chris.

The receptionist didn't look convinced.

'Please, it's really important,' begged Chris, and tears sparkled in his eyes.

'OK, come this way,' said the receptionist, still scowling. She led Chris down a long white corridor to a small room.

Bex was sitting up on a white bed, and Janeece was there holding her hand while a doctor explained the procedure to her.

'Bex,' said Chris. 'Wait, please.'

'Chris! What are you doing? I told you, I've made up my mind. You won't need to be bothered by us ever again after this.'

'No, Bex, listen. Please, just listen. I promise I'll leave you alone after you've heard me out, if that's what you still want. Please, can I just have two minutes?'

Bex looked confused and slightly angry, but she nodded to the doctor, who left the room.

'Bex, I'm so sorry. I've handled this really badly, but I've never had a baby before and to be honest, it's scaring me. I should never have let you go when you did, and I missed you every day that you weren't there. When I saw you in Waterloo Road, my life seemed complete again, but then I realised you were a pupil and the headteacher's daughter. I thought I'd lost every chance of being with you again, and I was devastated. But then I heard about the baby. Our baby.  
'And although it's scary and unpredicted, it brings us together. And once I'd heard we had a baby, there was something that joined us together, something that gave us a chance. And I'm not saying it will be easy, but it's possible. I still love you Bex, and I love our baby, even though I don't know it yet. I'll leave Waterloo Road and get a job somewhere else. I'll give you money; I'll support you the whole way through. You can move in with me if you want, or you can stay with your family.  
'It's not going to be easy, I'm not saying it is. But I want to make this work, I don't want to mess up again. Bex, you're special, and I don't want to even lose you again. We can do this, I love you.'

Tears glistened on Bex's and Janeece's cheeks.

Bex didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to reply.

Chris ducked his head, and turned to walk away. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered.

'No, wait,' called Bex, and Chris turned round, barely able to see her through tears.

Bex didn't know how to tell him what she felt – it would have taken hours. So she kept it simple.

'I love you.'


	12. Chapter 12

Chris drove Bex back home in his car, and Janeece drove back to school, promising she wouldn't say a word.

Chris took Bex to the doorstep, but didn't dare step over the threshold.

Bex giggled. 'Come on, if you're going to be the father of my baby you can at least come into my house.'

Chris stepped in and took her hand.

'Bex, I know this is a massive thing to agree to, but I meant every word of what I said back there.'

'I know you did,' whispered Bex. 'And it scares me how close I was to destroying everything we had.'

'It's OK now,' soothed Chris. 'I promise you, everything will be OK.'

He kissed Bex tenderly, and she returned his gentle kiss, pressing her soft lips against his.

Not wanting to push things, Chris pulled away before they got too passionate and walked into the living room and sat down.

'Bex, I know a lot's happened in the last two days, but I think we need to tell your family about the baby. About us,' he corrected.

Bex sighed. 'How? I don't think I can. It'll break Jess' heart, and I don't know how Mum would cope. And Dad will probably hit you!'

'I know it won't be easy,' admitted Chris. 'But we'll do it together, yeah?'

'Yeah,' agreed Bex. 'When?'

'We could get it over with now?' suggested Chris.

'Oh, I don't know,' said Bex, her heart beginning to pound.

Chris slid his hand into hers and entwined his fingers with hers. 'It's best to get it over with. And I won't leave you, I promise.'

Bex, desperate for reassurance, leaned up and kissed Chris again. He returned it, and this time he allowed them to get more passionate, as he wrapped himself around the most beautiful girl in the world, to him. It felt as though the past two months hadn't happened, and they were in their blissfully happy cocoon again.

But then the phone rang, and Bex was forced do get up and answer it.

'Hi Mum.'

'Yeah, I'm feeling OK; I managed to eat a bit of lunch.'

'Yeah, I will do.'

'OK, see you later.'

'Love you.'

'Come on, Chris,' said Bex. 'I need to get this over with.' She took his hand and led him towards the door.

Chris giggled.

'What?' said Bex.

'You're not going like that are you?'

'Like wha–? Ohh.' Bex flushed red as she noticed her t-shirt was still on the floor from when Chris had taken it off. 'Yeah, that might have given Mum a bit of a shock!'

'Here, I'll help you put it back on,' offered Chris, as he proceeded to kiss every bit of exposed flesh as he eased the top over Bex's head.

'That's really not helping you know,' she said.

'OK, sorry,' said Chris, backing off.

'I didn't say I wanted it to stop, though, did I,' grinned Bex.

Chris drove as slowly as he possible could, delaying the inevitable hurt and pain that they were going to cause when they revealed their secret. He cared deeply about Karen and Jess, but Bex and their baby had to come first.

'So who do you think we should talk to first, Mum or Jess?' asked Bex.

Chris sighed. 'Bex, I was thinking…'

'Yeah?'

'Wouldn't it hurt less people if we didn't tell your mum about me and Jess? Because it's completely over now and it'll just bring it all back up…' His voice trailed off.

'Chris, are you trying to protect my sister or yourself?' asked Bex angrily.

'Your sister, honestly,' said Chris. 'Listen, your mum won't trust her if she finds out where she goes in the evenings and she won't trust either of us if she thinks I'm just going to move onto the next sister the second we have a bit of a difficult time.'

'But that's what you did, though, isn't it? You couldn't have me so you just pulled someone else who looked a bit like me.'

'No, Bex, it wasn't like that, I promise. I was in love with you, but I thought I was never going to see you again. So I thought by going out and pulling, it would help me get over you. And it did, for a couple of hours. And then I saw you, sitting in my science class, and I realised that nothing would ever stop me being in love with you. So please, keep me and Jess a secret. For both of our sakes.'

'OK,' Bex agreed. There was something about Chris' face that stopped her being able to make rational decisions – one look at his shining eyes and everything inside her turned to jelly. And as long as she was with him, everything would work out OK, somehow.

'So do you think we should talk to Jess first then, and then your mum when we're a bit more psyched up?'

'OK, yes sir!' joked Bex as the car pulled into the Waterloo Road car park.

She got out and moved to hold Chris' hand, before remembering that nobody knew about them yet and stopped. She was surprised by how natural it felt, stepping out of his car and taking hold of his hand. It was as though there was a magnetic force, drawing them together and Bex hated resisting it.

'So where will Jess be?'

'Well it's not quite half one so I think she'll probably be on her way to her next lesson,' said Chris, looking at his watch. 'I'll tell you what, why don't you go and sit in the canteen and I'll go and find her. It'll be easier than everyone asking why you're here when you're supposed to be ill in bed.'

Bex agreed, and went to sit on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She knew what she was about to do wasn't going to be easy – she had no idea how Jess would react, but she loved Chris more than anything and it had taken the near-abortion for her to realise that. When he was around, it seemed like no one else mattered in the world, as if the entire world was orbiting around the two of them. And for the first time, the tiny baby growing inside her didn't seem so scary and weird. It was a piece of Chris and a piece of her, as one. It reassured her that she wasn't just living in a bubble – the baby would make sure that Chris stayed with her.

'Bex?' A confused voice interrupted her thought.

She turned round. 'Hi, Jess.'

'What are you doing here? I thought you were ill.'

'Well I, er–' Bex turned to Chris for support.

Chris took Jess' arm and made her sit down. 'Jess, we're going to tell you something that might upset you or confuse you, so I'm sorry.'

'What is it?' asked Jess. 'Come on, you're scaring me!'

'Jess, you know how I'm pregnant?'

Jess nodded.

'Well I lied when I said I didn't know who the father was. Remember I told you about the boyfriend I had who actually cared about me and loved me?'

Jess nodded, still confused.

'And I left him because I was scared he'd find out all I was, was a junkie and a prostitute?'

'Yeah, is he the dad?'

Bex nodded.

'But how do you know? I mean, no offence, but weren't you sleeping with quite a few men at that point?'

'No, not then,' Bex explained. 'Seeing him made me realise how stupid what I was doing was, and I would never cheat on a boyfriend, not even for drugs or money. So certain he's the father.'

'So what, are you going to try and find him?' asked Jess.

'I already have,' said Bex quietly, and looked at Chris, her eyes welling up.

'No!' said Jess loudly, standing up. 'No way!'

'Jess, listen, please. He didn't know who I was, or who you were.'

But Jess had turned to Chris, pleading with him. 'Please tell me it's not true, please.'

Chris took Jess' hand. 'I'm sorry, Jess.'

Jess shook her head, trying to sort things out. Her voice was weak and strangled. 'I– I could cope if you'd just slept with her, because you didn't know who we were. But the baby. It's never going to go away, is it? I'm going to see that baby every day and it'll just remind me of what I could have had, if I wasn't just a stupid schoolgirl.'

'Jess, I'm so sorry,' said Bex, trying to comfort her sister.

'Don't be, please. It's not your fault is it? It's not even his, unfortunately. Sorry, I'm just being stupid.'

'Chris can you…?' said Bex quietly, nodding towards the door. Chris gladly left the room to give the sisters some privacy.

'Jess, I thought you were over Chris?' asked Bex, rubbing her sister's hand.

'Yeah, well, so did I,' said Jess thickly. 'Just ignore me; it's just a stupid teenage crush isn't it? It's just another boy I'm going to have to get over.'

'Aw, Jess, I'm so sorry,' said Bex. 'Come here.'

But Jess shook her head. 'I'm fine,' she said, and ran out of the canteen, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

Chris came back in, and he wrapped his arm around Bex's tired shoulders.

'I've just broken my sister's heart,' she whispered, and buried her head in his chest. She didn't cry, but lay there, still, trying to make the guilt she felt in her stomach unknot itself. But it didn't, and eventually she sat up.

'I guess we'd better go and tell Mum, before she see's Jess.'

'Yeah,' said Chris softly. Bex could see he was dreading this, and she squeezed his arm.

'I'm here, don't worry.'

She knew that whatever Karen did to her, she was still her daughter and she would always be forgiven. But she didn't know how her mum would react to Chris.


	13. Chapter 13

_The storm took a breath, and lashed out with driving rain and thunder._

Bex knocked on Karen's office door.

'Mum, are you busy?'

'Not really,' said Karen, confused. 'What are you doing here, darling, you're supposed to be in bed.'

'I need to talk to you,' murmured Bex.

Karen looked worried. 'Is everything OK, Bex?'

'Er, yeah, it is actually, but there's something I need to tell you.'

Chris sat down beside her. He wanted to take her hand and hold it tight, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet anyway.

'Mum, you know how I'm pregnant?'

Bex told her mum the same story she had told Jess, about her relationship and how the man had cared for her. She paused when she got to the difficult bit.

'But I don't understand, sweetheart? Are you saying you want to contact this man? Because that sounds like a great idea, I think it would really help you.'

'No Mum,' said Bex. 'I already have.' She glanced at Chris.

Karen looked bewildered, and her eyes turned to Chris for help. Then it seemed to dawn upon her.

'Chris? My deputy?'

Bex nodded and Chris took hold of her hand.

'But, how?' asked Karen, still disbelieving.

'He didn't know I was still at school Mum, and he didn't know who I was. I made up a name.'

Karen's face turned from confusion to fury.

'You were dating my daughter, she trusted you, and you let her walk away. My daughter was homeless and desperate and you didn't bother to look after her? You abandoned her!'

'No, Mum, it wasn't like that,' said Bex, desperately. 'I left him, and I left no way of contacting me. How was he supposed to know what I– what I was doing?'

'If he'd really 'loved' you, he'd have worked it out!' spat Karen, anger radiating from her.

'Karen,' said Chris. 'I really, really love Bex and I care for her deeply. It was the biggest mistake of my life letting her walk away and I want to help now. I want to help her raise this baby. So I'm resigning from my job at Waterloo Road.'

'I don't want to let you _near _my daughter,' said Karen in a low and furious voice. 'I fully accept your resignation, but do not expect a reference. And if I ever see you near Bex again, I'm calling the police. You're a teacher and she's still at school – you'd be locked up.'

Chris stood up to leave, anxious not to cause any trouble for Bex. But she held onto his hand and didn't let him go.

'No, Mum, you've got to listen! I love Chris and nothing you do is going to separate us again! Do you know what, this morning, I wasn't ill! I lied! I was going for an abortion because I was that desperate not to ruin Chris' life. But he realised where I was going, and he followed me, and he promised he would help me and he would make everything alright again. And he persuaded me not to kill my baby. And that wasn't to benefit him, or his baby. It was so I wouldn't have to live my life torn apart with regret and grief that I killed my own child. And if that's not love, then I don't know what is. And Mum, if you can't accept me and Chris then I'm leaving, to go and live with him.'

Karen was taken aback. Her daughter had grown up so much since she had last seen her. She couldn't bear to look at Chris – she knew he had done nothing wrong and that he loved Bex but she still felt the natural motherly hatred to the man who had gotten her daughter pregnant so young. But more than anything, Karen couldn't face losing Bex for a second time.

So she took a deep breath and said; 'OK, OK, I can't stop you. And please, please stay Bex, I wouldn't be able to cope without you.'

Bex ran over to her mum and hugged her.

'I don't know what I'd do without you, either, Mum. But I want you to be happy for us, too.'

'Well that might take time,' admitted Karen. 'But I'll try.'

'Thanks, mum,' said Bex, giving her a grateful smile.


End file.
